Model Ashley Graham and the “curvy” girl revolution

She started modeling when she was just 12 years old in her hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, but now Ashley Graham is making a splash in the pages of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, flaunting her beautiful and voluptuous size 16 figure in a steamy ad for Swimsuits for All.

Bringing sexy back in a redefined way, Ashley and her tiny black string bikini are showing the world that not all good things come in small packages.

A pioneer in the so-called “body size movement,” Ashley has quickly become one of the most recognizable faces for plus-size apparel, an industry that rakes in $18 billion annually , but still has a way to go in meeting consumer demand. With her own lingerie line with Addition Elle, Ashley is setting her sights higher and is planning on one day having her own plus-size apparel company.

Debunking the myth that skinny equals healthy, Ashley has started her own line of workout Web videos called “Curvy Fit Club,” designed to help fuller figure women stay healthy and voluptuous at the same time.

With a fashion industry that has notoriously only featured models who are incredibly thin, Ashley has hopes that you will begin to see a larger variety of body types, thanks to fashion icons like Carine Roitfield and Steve Meisel putting the spotlight on larger-size subjects.

Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric went to the heart of Park Slope, Brooklyn, to meet Ashley at her home away from home — her local gym — to talk over smoothies about Ashley’s recent adventures with Sports Illustrated and how this new “curvy girl” phenomenon can help our world find sexy in all shapes and sizes.